Thermostat and Lighting

[NXSmiggy]

Hey guys , totally new to the forum and beardies but have had geckos before.

I have Talyn in a 30 gallon viv (3ft x 1ft x 1.5ft) and he is around 3 months old and arround 6 inches long.

He was eating fine for the first 4 hours but has yet to eat properly (think due to relocation stress). Feeding him on a diet of Brown crickets with calcium powder and some nasturtium leaves and petals although he hasent touched them yet. The plants are from a pesticide free garden (my mothers). I am hoping to also add a few calci-grubs to aid growth

He/She (too young to tell) has a small cave to hide in , a large rock formations made from black slate to bask under the light and a watering bowl that is seldom used lol.

The Heat is provided by a heatmat under the substrate and a standard 60w bulb.

As of yet I have not done a temp check as i forgot to buy a thermometer.

The light is Provided by said bulb and a reptiglow 10 UVB tube.

I have been looking online and considering a thermostat but was wondering what is best. a simple on of one , a dimming one , a light sensing one or simply none at all

Money is simply not an object , i am far from rich lol but if i wasent prepared to spend why did i entrust a life into my care.

Also just have got to say this is one of the most informative and friendly sites i have been on in a long time , with seemingly great members.

if any more info is needed on my setup or anything else give ill be around watching this intently as looking for the best advice possible and it seems i have found the best place to ask

 

[RioReptiles]

Hello there.... First off, I love the name.... Talyn! I gotta thing for y's so you can be my best buddy now. lol

Don't worry about a thermostat, get a laser thermostat (Lowes has one in the electrical section for $24) to spot check and a probe (Wal Mart Accutemp $12) to keep in the viv, once you establish your temps, you're good to go. The 60w household bulb is fine as long as you get basking temps from 100 to 110 degrees, and have a cool area from 78 to 82 degrees. You don't really need the under tank heater unless it gets too cold at night so I would try to establish temps without it first. Beardies can't sense heat from their bellies, so I've seen where the pros recommend putting it on the side of the tank if it's needed at all.

Double check your UVB, the Repti-Glo is known to be harmful to their eyes, make sure he can't get closer than 12 inches from it and consider replacing it with a Repti-SUN, made by Zoo Med since you have a flourescent tube fixture. If he starts acting weird, turn off the light and replace it. Remember too, calcium with D3 if you have a flourescent tube, no D3 if you get a mercury vapor bulb later.

Since he's so young, he probably wont touch the greens for a while but he might sneek one or two while your not looking so keep offering. Vyllyn didn't eat hardly anything for 3 weeks, then I figured out he didn't like crickets or mustard greens, so try a variety of insects and greens while he is settling in. Keep the light in mind if he stops eating to a point where it concerns you.

Most importantly, post pictures whenever possible, we love pictures!! Especially of babies!

I'm no pro but I've learned a lot from this forum, nothing short of amazing are the people here. Take care, Cheryl

 

[NXSmiggy]

thanks cherly , great post and glad you like the name

like i said money is no object but a £700 round trip to the states from blightly is a bit much even for my standards

i will look for the stuff you recomend in the uk and try and do my best for talyn but people please continue to post as i love to here differnt opinions and surgestions

ps anyone guess where the name comes from?

 

[RioReptiles]

Oh, you're in the UK. You should be able to find what you need, there are plenty of other members here who know all the beardie resources. There might even be a list somewhere on this site. If not, we should make a list, right!

Is Talyn from the book? It's definitely a cool name. Hmmm..... I don't know.......

I have to go finish building my 3rd viv, hope its a charm this time

 

[NXSmiggy]

i use the heat mat as i live in the north of england. which as we all know never really recovered fron the last ice age so is still pretty chilly at night.

i have the mat on at all times and around 12 hours of sun (well bulb) and 14 of the UVB.

at night times is it ok to put a cover over the viv if i want to use the light in the front room as now Talyn is doubling up as an attractive center peice / night light lol